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North Carolina's 5th Congressional District election, 2026

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North Carolina redrew its congressional district boundaries in October 2025. Voters will elect representatives under the new map in 2026. Click here to read more about mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections.
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2024
North Carolina's 5th Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 19, 2025
Primary: March 3, 2026
Primary runoff: May 12, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Voting in North Carolina

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
North Carolina's 5th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th
North Carolina elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 5th Congressional District of North Carolina, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is May 12, 2026. The filing deadline was December 19, 2025. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

David Clayton is running in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of David Clayton
David Clayton (Independent) Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

Kyah Creekmore and Chuck Hubbard are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on March 3, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

Incumbent Virginia Foxx and Steve Girard are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on March 3, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

Robert Luffman is running in the Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on March 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Robert Luffman
Robert Luffman Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of David Clayton

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Returning the definition of the word Representative


Call out the corruption regardless of party.


Institute long term solutions regardless which party is in power.

Voting information

See also: Voting in North Carolina

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/DavidClayton2025.jpeg

David Clayton (Independent)

Returning the definition of the word Representative

Call out the corruption regardless of party.

Institute long term solutions regardless which party is in power.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/DavidClayton2025.jpeg

David Clayton (Independent)

Government ethics, Veterans care, housing affordability, workers rights, women’s rights, equal rights.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/DavidClayton2025.jpeg

David Clayton (Independent)

Goods Unite Us, Captain Dylan Blaha, Specialist Demi Palecek, Kyle Gauck, Frances Fisher, Dropkick Murphy’s, FLARE, Remember Your Oath, Removal Coalition, Citizens Impeachment,


Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Virginia Foxx Republican Party $916,839 $498,517 $3,329,590 As of September 30, 2025
Kyah Creekmore Democratic Party $92 $101 $-9 As of September 30, 2025
Chuck Hubbard Democratic Party $144,253 $144,584 $7,065 As of September 30, 2025
Steve Girard Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Robert Luffman Libertarian Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
David Clayton Independent $22,908 $14,557 $8,351 As of September 30, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: North Carolina's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
12/23/202512/16/202512/9/202512/2/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in North Carolina in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in North Carolina, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
North Carolina U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 5% of registered voters in the same party or 200, whichever is greater $1,740 12/19/2025 Source
North Carolina U.S. House Unaffiliated 1.5% of all registered N.C. voters in the district, as of January 1 of the election year. $1,740 12/19/2025 Source


District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

General election

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

Incumbent Virginia Foxx (R) defeated Chuck Hubbard (D) in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Virginia Foxx
Virginia Foxx (R)
 
59.5
 
238,304
Image of Chuck Hubbard
Chuck Hubbard (D)  Candidate Connection
 
40.5
 
162,390

Total votes: 400,694
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 5, 2024, was canceled. Chuck Hubbard (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

Incumbent Virginia Foxx (R) defeated Ryan Mayberry (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Virginia Foxx
Virginia Foxx
 
67.8
 
62,120
Image of Ryan Mayberry
Ryan Mayberry
 
32.2
 
29,457

Total votes: 91,577
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

Incumbent Virginia Foxx (R) defeated Kyle Parrish (D) in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Virginia Foxx
Virginia Foxx (R)
 
63.2
 
175,279
Image of Kyle Parrish
Kyle Parrish (D)  Candidate Connection
 
36.8
 
102,269

Total votes: 277,548
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for May 17, 2022, was canceled. Kyle Parrish (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 without appearing on the ballot.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

Incumbent Virginia Foxx (R) defeated Michael Ackerman (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Virginia Foxx
Virginia Foxx
 
76.6
 
61,680
Image of Michael Ackerman
Michael Ackerman  Candidate Connection
 
23.4
 
18,868

Total votes: 80,548
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

Incumbent Virginia Foxx (R) defeated David Wilson Brown (D) and Jeff Gregory (Constitution Party) in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Virginia Foxx
Virginia Foxx (R)
 
66.9
 
257,843
Image of David Wilson Brown
David Wilson Brown (D)  Candidate Connection
 
31.1
 
119,846
Image of Jeff Gregory
Jeff Gregory (Constitution Party)
 
2.0
 
7,555

Total votes: 385,244
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5

David Wilson Brown (D) defeated Eric Hughes (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of David Wilson Brown
David Wilson Brown  Candidate Connection
 
68.0
 
34,339
Eric Hughes
 
32.0
 
16,139

Total votes: 50,478
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for March 3, 2020, was canceled. Incumbent Virginia Foxx (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 without appearing on the ballot.

Constitution Party primary

The Constitution Party primary scheduled for March 3, 2020, was canceled. Jeff Gregory (Constitution Party) advanced from the Constitution Party primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 5 without appearing on the ballot.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district before and after redistricting ahead of the 2026 election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map used in the 2024 election next to the map in place for the 2026 election. Click on a map below to enlarge it. Error: One or both images not found for the specified years.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+9. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 9 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made North Carolina's 5th the 145th most Republican district nationally.[5]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in North Carolina's 5th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
42.9% 55.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in North Carolina, 2024

North Carolina presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 18 Democratic wins
  • 14 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D D D R D D D D D D D D D R R D R R R R R R R D R R R R
See also: Party control of North Carolina state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of North Carolina's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from North Carolina
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 4 4
Republican 2 10 12
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 14 16

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in North Carolina's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in North Carolina, October 2025
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Josh Stein
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Rachel Hunt
Secretary of State Democratic Party Elaine Marshall
Attorney General Democratic Party Jeff Jackson

State legislature

North Carolina State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 20
     Republican Party 30
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 50

North Carolina House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 49
     Republican Party 71
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 120

Trifecta control

North Carolina Party Control: 1992-2025
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

See also

North Carolina 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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North Carolina congressional delegation
Voting in North Carolina
North Carolina elections:
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Democratic primary battlegrounds
Republican primary battlegrounds
U.S. Senate Democratic primaries
U.S. Senate Republican primaries
U.S. House Democratic primaries
U.S. House Republican primaries
U.S. Congress elections
U.S. Senate elections
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Special elections
Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
Republican Party (12)
Democratic Party (4)